NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 12: Oscar Statues are displayed at the 2007 “Meet the Oscars” presented by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on February 12, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
Just like Schitt’s Creeks very own Moira Rose, my favourite season is awards season and we are nearing the end of the strangest and most unpredictable awards season we have ever seen. The season is culminating with the 93rd Academy Awards (25th April 2021). In this article, I will be giving a run down of the all of the nominations and who I think will take home the biggest prizes come Oscar night (and if given the choice who I would hand the Oscars out to. *DISCLAIMER: I have only predicted the categories for which I have seen the nominations.*
Best Picture:
Nominations: The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Nomadland looks on course to take the Best Picture Oscar.
2020 was an awful year for many factors of peoples lives, however it was a very good year for film. This is one of the best lineups for Best Picture in recent memory. Nomadland is the clear frontrunner with Promising Young Woman, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Minari looking to be its closest competitors.
PREDICTED WINNER- NOMADLAND MY CHOICE- NOMADLAND
Best Director:
Nominations: Chloe Zhao, David Fincher, Emerald Fennell, Lee Isaac Chung, Thomas Vinterberg.
Chloe Zhao has so far stormed awards season.
When the nominations were announced, Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round) earning a nomination was my favourite surprise nomination of all the nominations, along with Emerald Fennell (Promsing Young Woman), although that wasn’t much of a surprise! However, I can’t look much further than Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) becoming only the second woman to ever take home the Best Director award.
PREDICTED WINNER: CHLOE ZHAO MY CHOICE: CHLOE ZHAO
This category has been completely blown wide open. Each of these actresses would be worthy of taking home the Oscar with each delivering fantastic performances and I would be happy with any of them winning. Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) looked to be the early frontrunner however with Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) taking home the SAG Award, Andra Day (The United States VS Billie Holliday) winning the Golden Globe and only Frances McDormand (Nomadland) and Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) up for BAFTA, this category certainly does have a spanner in the works for many.
PREDICTED WINNER- VIOLA DAVIS MY CHOICE- CAREY MULLIGAN
Best Actor:
Nominations: Anthony Hopkins, Chadwick Boseman, Gary Oldman, Riz Ahmed, Steven Yeun.
Chadwick Boseman looks certain to win the award for Best Actor.
All three of Gary Oldman (Mank), Steven Yeun (Minari) and Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) are all fantastic in their films this year and are fully deserving of their Oscar nominations however none are in with a look in, in my opinion. Despite Anthony Hopkins (The Father) producing the best performance of the year with a crushing and heartbreaking portrayal of a man with dementia, this looks like Chadwick Boseman’s (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) Oscar to lose.
PREDICTED WINNER: CHADWICK BOSEMAN MY CHOICE: ANTHONY HOPKINS
Olivia Colman could take her home her second Oscar in two years.
For me this is the hardest category to predict for this year with no clear frontrunner. Jodie Foster (The Mauritanian) took home the Golden Globe in this category and she isn’t even nominated for the Oscar. Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) and Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari) are the only two nominated in this category at the BAFTA’s. Despite Amanda Seyfried dazzling in Mank, I can’t see her being in the running. Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy) is fully deserving of an Oscar however this again won’t be her year. That leaves Maria Bakolava, Olivia Colman (The Father) and Yuh-Jung Youn- it could really be any of them!
PREDICTED WINNER: YUH-JUNG YOUN MY CHOICE: OLIVIA COLMAN
Best Supporting Actor:
Predictions: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Leslie Odom Jr, Paul Raci, Sacha Baron Cohen.
Daniel Kaluuyas win looks set in stone.
One of the most fun Best Supporting Actor categories in recent memory, all are deserving to win the Oscar. The standout of them all however is Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah). It’s his award to lose.
PREDICTED WINNER: DANIEL KALUUYA MY CHOICE: DANIEL KALUUYA
Best Animated Feature:
Nominations: A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, Onward, Over the Moon, Soul, Wolfwalkers.
Soul debuted on Disney+ to rave reviews from critics and audience alike.
There was some talk at the start of awards season that Soul could be in line for a Best Picture nod. This hasn’t happened however I think it is a shoo-in to take home the Best Animated Feature prize. It will have some strong competition from Onward and Wolfwalkers however it is likely to be a favourite amongst the Academy voters.
PREDICTED WINNER: SOUL MY CHOICE: WOLFWALKERS
Best International Feature:
Nominations: Another Round, Better Days, Collective, The Man Who Sold His Skin, Quo Vadis, Aida?
Another Round (Denmark) looks to be the clear frontrunner.
Like Parastite last year, Another Round looks certain to take home the Best International Feature award, and deservedly so. It’s easily one of my favourite watches from last year. Quo Vadis, Aida? could provide some competition however Thomas Vinterberg’s nod for Best Director looks to have all but sealed the win.
PREDICTED WINNER: ANOTHER ROUND MY CHOICE: ANOTHER ROUND
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Nominations: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Nomadland, One Night in Miami, The Father, The White Tiger.
Sacha Baron Cohen is nominated for the second time in this category, once again for Borat.
The screenplay categories always plays a pivotal role in predicting who will take home the Best Picture award and this year could be no different. Nomadland looks to be the clear frontrunner with The Father picking up some momentum. Whilst Nomadland is a fantastic piece of filmmaking, the screenplay is not it’s biggest plus point, whereas The Father relies heavily on its dialogue. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm could make a late rally, it’s probably Sacha Baron Cohen’s best chance of taking an award come Oscars night.
PREDICTED WINNER: NOMADLAND MY CHOICE: THE FATHER
Best Original Screenplay:
Nominations: Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Best Original Screenplay could be the best opportunity for Minari to take home an award.
Possibly the most wide open and heavily contested category. Each of these screenplays would be a worthy winner. Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) looks set to be in the lead, and rightfully so, however Minari is breathing down its neck. You can also never rule out an Aaron Sorkin screenplay (The Trial of the Chicago 7) to be a favourite amongst the Academy voters.
PREDICTED WINNER: PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN MY CHOICE: PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Best Cinematography: Nominations: Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, News of the World, NOMADLAND (PREDICTED WINNER+MY CHOICE), The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Best Editing: Nominations: THE FATHER(MY CHOICE), Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (PREDICTED WINNER).
BestProduction Design: Nominations: The Father, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, MANK(PREDICTED WINNER+MY CHOICE), News of the World, Tenet.
Best Visual Effects: Nominations: Love and Monsters, Mulan, TENET (PREDICTED WINNER+MY CHOICE), The Midnight Sky, The One and Only Ivan.
Original Score: Nominations: Da 5 Bloods, Mank, MINARI (MY CHOICE), News of the World, SOUL (PREDICTED WINNER). *TENET WAS ROBBED OF A NOMINATION*
Original Song: Nominations: Fight For You: Judas and the Black Messiah, HEAR MY VOICE: THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (MY CHOICE) Husavik: Eurovision Song Contest, Io Si: The Life Ahead, SPEAK NOW: ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI (PREDICTED WINNER).
Best Sound: Nominations: Greyhound, Mank, News of the World, SOUL (MY CHOICE), SOUND OF METAL (PREDICTED WINNER).
Best Costume Design: Nominations: EMMA (MY CHOICE), MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (PREDICTED WINNER), Mank, Mulan, Pinocchio.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Nominations: Emma, Hillbilly Elegy, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (MY CHOICE+PREDICTED WINNER), Mank, Pinocchio.
23 years old-Manchester-Film Studies Graduate-Qualified Film and Media Teacher-Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and Olivia Colman enthusiast. Check out my Letterboxd for more reviews and film goodness.
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According to TMZJonathan Majors has been arrested in NYC for reportedly assaulting a woman. A source told TMZ the woman tried sneaking a peek at his phone, after which, Majors got angry and grabbed her hand, slapped her and reportedly put his hands around her neck.
TMZ sources say, the alleged victim had visible injuries — “Including a laceration behind her ear, redness and marks to her face. She was taken to an area hospital and is in stable condition. As for Majors … he was cuffed and taken to jail on the spot, as police felt there was enough evidence for probable cause. We’re hearing he is currently out of custody.” — TMZ
A rep for Majors says: “He’s done nothing wrong. We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up.”
Robert Downey Jr. (Avengers: Endgame, Iron Man) has been mostly off the radar since he exited his legendary role in the MCU as Tony Stark. Though he’s due for a big next few years, he’s signed on to another project that will reimagine a classic film.
According to an exclusive from Deadline, RDJ will headline Vertigo, which will be a remake of the 1958 psychological thriller from the mind of Alfred Hitchcock. Downey Jr. would fill the lead role originally played by James Stewart as a former detective who is forced into retirement after traumatic experiences with his time as an on-duty officer which leaves him with the titular condition. The film will be produced by Paramount and written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Locke). Paramount’s involvement makes sense as it was the home studio for the original film and Hitchcock’s estate favored the studio for a remake of the cult classic.
Though we had mentioned that Downey Jr. has been out of the spotlight for a while, however, he has a role in Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated film, Oppenheimer in July. He’s also currently filming Park Chan-wook’s HBO limited series The Sympathizer which is in collaboration with A24. He’s also been in talks to reprise his role as Sherlock Holmes for a trilogy ender along with filmmaker Guy Ritchie.
A24 is coming off a major Oscars coup with its Best Picture-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once, but now, they’re headed for a major ensemble comedy film from the lens of Saturday Night Live‘s own Kyle Mooney. Per Deadline, it appears that Mooney will direct the disaster film titled Y2K which comes from a script from Evan Winter.
The movie boasts a major ensemble that includes the following: Jaeden Martell (It), Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), Mason Gooding (Scream VI), Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Lachlan Watson (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Tim Heidecker (Us), Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus), music artist The Kid Laroi and Alicia Silverstone (Clueless). The film is set on NYE 1999, where two High School loners (Martell and Dennison) decide to crash a big party before the end of the millennium, however, when the clock strikes midnight, it becomes a disaster unlike anything they could have ever imagined.
A24 will back the pic that also features Jonah Hill and The Bear creator Christopher Storer amongst its behind-the-scenes producing partners. With such a major ensemble, it seems like it could be a mixture of This Is the End with touches of Hill’s directorial debut, Mid90s within the 90s-set disaster comedy.
A24 ‘Y2k’ Cast
Martell is probably the most recognizable actor amongst the ensemble having starred in the It films as the younger version of Bill Denbrough. He also has appeared in recent years in films such as Knives Out, St. Vincent and Netflix’s Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. He’s also the titular character in Apple’s series, Defending Jacob and is set to lead the upcoming reboot of The Lost Boys alongside Noah Jupe and Charlene Amoia.
Zegler is best known for her debut role as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story in 2021. Her star power continues to rise as she’s already joined DC’s superhero universe for Shazam! Fury of the Gods which is currently in theaters. She’ll also play Snow White in Disney’s 2024 live-action remake of the iconic animated film and lead the upcoming prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes alongside Hunter Schafer, Tom Blyth, Peter Dinklage and Viola Davis.
Dennison first came on the scene when he starred in Taika Waititi’s indie dramedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople with Sam Neill. He followed that up with a major role in Deadpool 2 and then later joined the cast of Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021. Gooding is one of the starring members of the ensemble in Scream VI, which is currently in theaters. Hechinger starred in the first season of The White Lotus as the son of Connie Britton and Steve Zahn and will next appear in Kraven the Hunter. Additionally, the older cast members in Silverstone and Heidecker are best known for roles in Clueless and Jordan Peele’s Us respectively.